Rules

In the following links you can find important information for authors and evaluators of the articles sent to Revista Iberoamericana Ambiente & Sustentabilidad

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS FOR SENDING MANUSCRIPTS

The Iberoamerican Environment & Sustainability Journal is a publication that covers various topics from different areas of knowledge, which have a direct impact on environmental management. It assumes four categories of scientific works:

      • Scientific research article
      • Review article
      • Reflection papers or essays
      • Case studies

Provided that they are considered as original submissions and respond to one of the following thematic axes:

  • Sustainable use of biodiversity and management of protected areas
  • Sustainable land management and food security
  • Environmental risk management and climate change
  • Sustainable management of water resources
  • Environmental management in human settlements
  • Sustainable management of urban solid waste
  • Education, culture and environmental communication
  • Sustainable tourism
  • Environmental Law and Policy
  • Databases, remote sensing and GIS applied to environmental management
  • University cooperation for sustainable development
  • Enviromental health

The Ibero-American Environment & Sustainability Journal has its antecedents in the ECOTEMAS Bulletin and the publications that have been generated since 2016 as a result of the papers presented at the different conferences organized by the Ibero-American Environment Network (REIMA, A.C.). RIAS is primarily aimed at teachers, researchers and students who are interested in publishing the most relevant results of their research through it. Its policy follows the system of continuous publications, with a single annual volume (without numbers). It also adheres to the Open Access initiative, in order to promote the immediate socialization of the results that are presented, after review by blind peers. RIAS does not charge fees for the reception of manuscripts, nor for the editorial management, publication or indexing of published articles.

 The Ibero-American of Environment & Sustainability Journal adopted the continuous publication modality as of January 2021. This modality speeds up the communication and publication process of the most relevant research results. The articles will be published once they are approved by the reviewers and have complied with the editorial process. A single annual volume (without numbers) will be published and the articles will continue to be published with their corresponding DOI number.

 Submitted papers must be original and unpublished and must not have been presented or published in another journal. Environment & Sustainability receives articles in Spanish, English and Portuguese. Regardless of the language, the articles must contain a title, abstract and keywords in Spanish, English and Portuguese. The selected papers will be reviewed by the members of the Scientific Council through the process of "double-blind peer review".

 The Iberoamerican Environment & Sustainability Journal is not responsible for the opinions and statements expressed in the articles, these are the sole responsibility of the authors.

1. TYPES OF WORK

  • Scientific research articles: written based on the results of original and rigorous research of a theoretical or experimental nature. The maximum extension will be 15 pages including summary, tables and figures, with a minimum of 10 bibliographical references and a maximum of 40, all of them cited in the document.
  • Review article: written from investigations where the results of various published or unpublished investigations are analyzed, systematized and integrated, on a specific topic in order to account for the progress and development trends of the same. The maximum length is six pages including abstract (descriptive), keywords, introduction and text divided into several sections (at the author's discretion), conclusions and bibliography. It can be illustrated with tables and figures. It must have a minimum of 10 bibliographic references and a maximum of 40.
  • Articles of reflection or essays: presents the results of an investigation, reflection or academic experience determined from an analytical, interpretive or critical perspective of the author, on a specific topic, resorting to original sources and providing the thesis and reasons for it. The maximum length is four pages and a minimum of 10 bibliographic references.
  • Case studies: focuses on the exhaustive study of a specific phenomenon or topic that allows discovering new aspects of a specific topic or confirming what we already know. As a result, an exhaustive and qualitative description of a specific phenomenon, experience, situation or condition will be obtained. The maximum extension is six pages, with a minimum of 10 bibliographical references and a maximum of 40.

    2. MANUSCRIPT FORMAT

  •  The format of the article must adhere to the rules set out below. The use of the “Manuscript submission template” template is recommended for submitting the article, which is available on the journal's website.
  •  Title: will appear in Spanish, English and Portuguese; It must be explicit and precise, it must not exceed 15 words, reflecting its content unequivocally. No formulas, abbreviations or acronyms may be used.
  • Summary: it is written in a precise and concise language, in the past tense; where the objectives, methodology used, most relevant results and main conclusions of the investigation are included. It is written in a single paragraph in Spanish, English and Portuguese; with a maximum length of 200 words.
  • Keywords: Between three and eight words or groups of words arranged alphabetically, separated by commas and not found in the title. They will appear in Spanish, English and Portuguese. They must be related to the content of the work for better inclusion in national and international indexes and databases. You can refer to the UNESCO thesaurus for your selection http://vocabularies.unesco.org/browser/thesaurus/en/groups 
  • Text of the articles: the wording must be clear and concise, respecting the maximum length indicated in the “Types of works” section. All acronyms cited must have their meaning.
  • In the case of scientific research articles and case studies, the following structure is recommended:

     INTRODUCTION

  • It is written in the present, with a descriptive-narrative style.
  • It refers to the purpose of the work, its scope and importance, as well as the current knowledge of the subject; citing the most relevant contributions on the subject.
  • It includes the theoretical and rational foundation of the study: the what and the why of the investigation.
  • The main (general) and secondary (specific) objectives must be made explicit.
  • The hypothesis or research question and the scientific problem are stated.
  • Provide only strictly pertinent references and conclusions of the reported scientific result must appear.
  • There should not be an excess of bibliographic citations, because for a detailed study on the subject there are review articles.
  • For more information on the introduction according to the APA standard 7th edition, consult the link: https://normas-apa.org/estructura/introduccion/

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

  • It is written in the past (measured, studied, analyzed, checked, etc.), with a descriptive style.
  • The criteria used to choose the object of study and the steps that were followed appear.
  • It clearly expresses all the relevant protocols, methods and characteristics of the materials used to arrive at the results.
  • Presents the materials evaluated (technical specifications, quantities, origin or method of preparation, generic or chemical names, avoiding commercial ones).
  • A complete description of the methods used should appear so that the reader can evaluate the suitability of the methods, the reliability and the validity of their results, making it easier for another researcher to replicate the methodology and compare the results.
  • The size of the sample must be declared; statistical analysis must be performed using specialized software.
  • It must expose the period of time and scenarios studied, as well as comment on the main limitations of the research.
  • It is declared, if required, the use of acronyms, measurement systems, etc.

    RESULTS

  • They are written in the past tense with a descriptive-narrative style, clearly and concisely, without excessive use of verbs.
  • They must summarize the information collected and the analysis carried out on the most relevant data through text, tables and figures (only up to 8 tables).
  • Tables and figures should be self-explanatory, so that the reader does not have to go to the text to understand the information presented.
  • Numerical results should be provided, not only derivatives (eg %) but also the absolute numbers from which the derivatives were calculated, and the statistical methods used should be specified.
  • The international system of units will be used.
  • The correct statistical expressions will be used and redundancies will be avoided.
  • They express themselves without making value judgments or drawing conclusions.

    DISCUSSION

  • It is written in the present, but in the past when the results obtained are discussed.
  • What is really important is stated, emphasizing the new and essential aspects of the study, its importance, implications and limitations.
  • Data or other material provided in the Introduction or Results section should not be repeated in detail.
  • For experimental studies, it is useful to start the discussion by summarizing the main findings, then explain possible mechanisms or explanations for these findings.
  • Compare and contrast how the research is different from what has been previously reported and how the authors' observations will significantly advance current knowledge of the topic.
  • Unqualified statements and criteria not supported by data should be avoided.
  • Possible applications of the results obtained are discussed.
  • It must be based on statistical analysis and contributions from other authors with similar studies, but not on subjective assessments.
  • Recommendations and suggestions for future research may appear.
  • It should not be compared to too many studies, as it can distract or confuse the reader.
  • Abbreviations should be kept to a minimum and defined on first use in the text.
  • In some cases, a common section is made: Results and discussion, in which, at the same time that the results are presented, they are discussed, commented on or compared with other studies; in other cases the results and discussion can be separate sections.

    CONCLUSIONS

  • They are written in an impersonal way, using a language referring to what is exposed in the subject.
  • Brief summary of the content of the article, with the most important contributions and possible applications, avoiding lexical decorations and expressing them as directly as possible.
  • They will be governed by what is proposed in the introduction.
  • It is not about contributing new ideas, but rather compiling what is indicated in the results and discussion sections.
  • No citations from another author should appear.
  • There must be correspondence with the objectives set
  • They should not be numbered or bulleted.

    BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

  • To cite bibliographic sources in the text and prepare the list of references, the style of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th edition, should be used.
  • The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) ​​of each reference must be indicated, if any.
  • You must include only the works cited within the article.
  • More than 75% of the cited bibliography must have been published in the last five years, unless they have historical relevance or the author is a reference in that field.
  • References to resources without ISSN (abstracts, dissertations, theses, reports, etc.) should be limited.
  • The accuracy of the bibliographic references is the sole responsibility of the author.
  • The veracity of the citations and bibliographical references will be the exclusive responsibility of the author or authors of the article.
  • In the case of sources that are scientific articles, those that come from indexed scientific journals should preferably be used.
  • Only the works cited in the text should appear, in alphabetical order with hanging indentation.
  • For more information on citations and bibliographic references, consult the link: https://normas-org/introduccion/citas-vs-referencias-vs-bibliografia/
  •  The structure of the article in the case of reflection articles or essays and review article will be as follows: title, author data, abstract and keywords, leaving the rest of the sections to the authors' consideration.

    TABLE

  • They serve to present data that are really relevant in the study.
  • The table number (for example, Table 1) appears first and should be in bold.
  • The title should be written in italics, on a line with single spacing and after the number of the table; It should be brief but descriptive.
  • All must include column headings; it is suggested to center the text of the headings.
  • The body includes all the rows and columns of a table (including the header row); with single line spacing and it is recommended to center the text in all cells of the table.
  • If abbreviations are used in the table, they may be specified in the notes.
  • Notes can also be used to attribute copyrights, extra explanations with asterisks. It is not a mandatory point, therefore, include table notes only if they are necessary.
  • For more information on the style of tables according to the APA standard 7th edition, consult the link: https://normas-apa.org/estructura/tables/

    FIGURES

  • All types of visuals other than tables are considered figures in APA style. For example: illustrations, infographics, photographs, line or bar graphs, flowcharts, drawings, maps, etc.
  • Minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch (dpi) or 300 dots per inch (dpi).
  • The necessary ones must appear and be attractive and easy to understand.
  • They are characterized by being simple, clear and showing continuity with respect to the theme of the document.
  • The number (for example, Figure 1) is the first thing that appears and must be in bold.
  • The title should appear after the number of the figure and it is used in italics. It should be brief but descriptive.
  • The legend should be placed within the borders of the figure and should be used to explain the symbols used.
  • If abbreviations are used in the figure, they may be specified in the notes.
  • Notes can also be used to attribute copyrights, extra explanations with asterisks. This is not a mandatory point, so include figure notes only if necessary.
  • For more information on the style of figures according to the APA standard 7th edition, consult the link: https://normas-apa.org/estructura/figuras/

    FOOTNOTES

  • In APA standards, footnotes are used only for further information and to include definitions.
  • The font will be Times New Roman, 10 points.
  • They must be numbered with Arabic numerals and must not exceed 40 words, otherwise they must be incorporated into the general text.
  • In APA standards, footnotes are not used for referencing or citing. Quotations should be made as many times as necessary within the text, quoted or paraphrased.

    FORMULAS AND MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSIONS

  • They must appear with the maximum clarity of writing, trying to use the most reduced forms or those that occupy less space.
  • They must appear in square brackets in the text.
  • The use of measurement units must follow the regulations of the International System of Measurements.

    Acknowledgments: this is optional and should not exceed 100 words. Technical (individual, institution or organization) and external financial (grants, projects and scholarships) help should be acknowledged; as well as collaborations; that should be acknowledged but that do not justify co-authorship.

    SUBMISSION

    Original papers must be submitted through the web page: https://rias.unesum.edu.ec in the “Submission of articles” section. Those that are sent to the personal email addresses of the members of the editorial team or to the accounts of REIMA, A.C. They will not be considered as such, and the authors will not be entitled to any claim.

    Papers must be submitted in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word or WordPerfect for Windows format, written in Calibri font; score 12; single line spacing with automatic leading and trailing; Letter size 21.59 cm x 27.94 cm (equivalent to 8 1/2 x 11 inches); and margins of 2.5 cm on each side. Citations and bibliographic references will be made according to the APA Standard Seventh Edition (2019).

    DOCUMENTS FOR THE AUTHORS

    GUIDANCE FOR EVALUATORS

    • Model for manuscript evaluation. Document to be completed by the person responsible for evaluating the manuscript where the comments for the editor and authors are reflected.

    INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS AND EVALUATORS